Santa Fe Burrito Bake

This recipe comes courtesy of my sister-in-law, Lorraine. She has made this a time or two for our children when they have spent the night, and our children all love it. If any of you has more than one child, you know that if two or more children like the same meal, it's a miracle. So, I now have the recipe and really don't make it as often as I should. I like that it's easy to make and once it's in the oven and you get the few dishes you used washed, dinner clean up is a snap. I like to serve it along side fresh fruit and/or corn. But you do what you like.

Santa Fe Burrito Bake

1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey (I used ground beef once and it wasn't so great)
3/4 cup of water
1 pgk. taco seasoning
2 cups corn flakes* (crushed to 3/4 cup)
2 pkgs. Pillsbury seamless bread dough (or crescent rolls pressed together to eliminate seams)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp. butter (melted)
chili powder
salsa
sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook turkey until no longer pink; drain if necessary. Stir in water and seasoning mix. Add cereal, stirring until well combined; set aside. Add a little more water only if it looks too dry.

3. On a parchment lined cookie sheet, roll dough into a 15x10" rectangular.

4. Spread 2 cups of meat mixture in a 4-inch wide strip lengthwise down center of dough. Top with cheese. Cover with remaining meat.

5. Bring both sides of dough up over filling. Seal top and sides well.

6. Brush top with margarine and sprinkle with chili powder.

7. Bake 30-35 minutes until golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes to set.

8. Slice and serve with salsa and sour cream. Yum!

Sausage Casserole

This is a Christmas morning tradition in our house. We used to have it more often and it's what Jack would always pick for his birthday party meal. Now, it pretty much keeps to Christmas. We added the tater-tots to the original and that has made all the difference. It goes great with a fruit salad or just strawberries.

Sausage Casserole

6 eggs
2 cups milk
6 slices bread (white or Italian preferred) ripped into bite size pieces
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 lb. sausage, cooked and crumbled
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (optional)
2-3 cups tater tots

Cook sausage according to directions. In a 9x13 baking dish (lightly sprayed or greased) spread bread evenly. Spread crumbled sausage evenly over bread. In medium bowl mix eggs and milk. Mix salt and dry mustard separately in a teaspoon or two of hot water to dissolve; add to milk mixture, stir. Pour evenly over bread and sausage. Sprinkle cheese over top (if using). Arrange tater tots over top. We pack our in!

Cover and refigerate overnight. We often skip this step because of precious refrigerator space and just make it right before baking. It turns out just fine; however, I would recommend keeping the tater-tots in the refrigerator overnight or thawing them a bit in the microwave before using.

Bake uncovered at 350 for 45 mins- 1 hour.

THE Marinade

I got this recipe years ago from Christina Ferrare when she was on a show called "Home and Family". No, she didn't give it to me personally; she just posted it on the website. Anyhow, the marinade is fabulous. She raved that it was the best, so we tried it on our first turkey. The house smelled like soy sauce and there were no juices in the pan. I thought for sure it was going to be the driest turkey ever. When I poked the turkey, juice came squirting out. It was the best turkey and we've done it that way ever since. The great thing is that you can cut it down and use it for just about anything. It's great on roasts.

Also, my non-gravy loving husband loves the gravy made from this marinade. I have gotten juice from the turkey since and I usually put chicken broth in the bottom of the pan to keep the drippings from burning. You might want to try low-sodium broth if making gravy so it's not too salty. If you are not making gravy, just use water. Enjoy!

THE Marinade

1 cup of dijon mustard
1 cup of olive oil
3/4 cup of lemon juice
1/2 cup of soy sauce
2 cloves of garlic, minced

3 sprigs of fresh thyme, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh sage leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano

I mix the first 5 ingredients and pour it over the turkey, then sprinkle the herbs on top. Also, I don't usually use fresh. I just eyeball dried herbs.

This recipe will cover a 20 lb. turkey, so keep that in mind when scaling it down.

Brownies

I love baking. I love baking from scratch. I like knowing everything that is going into what I make and I don't like a lot of the chemicals that come from boxes. HOWEVER, I must admit...I prefer box brownies to scratch. There, I said it.

Sometimes we get a craving for brownies, but I don't have a box on hand. I have tried many brownie recipes trying to find one that will at least satisfy me the way a Betty Crocker box brownie does. It's been tough, but I think I have found a close facimile. It's pretty doggone good. The even better thing...my family likes them, especially Anthony. The real test will be if my friend Laura likes them. She shares my box brownie love. Enjoy.

Brownies
1/2 cup white sugar
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. water
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease an 8x8 inch square pan.

2. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, butter and water. Cook over medium heat until boiling. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips until melted and smooth. Mix in the eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the chocolate mixture. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.

3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until brownies set up and toothpick comes out clean. Do not overbake. Cool in pan and cut into squares.

Okay, I just took a batch of these out of the oven as I was posting this and I have a little to add. Literally. They need even more chocolate. I'd either increase the chocolate chips by 1/2 cup originally, or toss them in at the end before putting into the pan. Wow, these are yummy! Anthony said, "Don't ever give me store bought again. These are so good!"

Mongolian Beef

Jack found this recipe in Cooking Light magazine one day and wanted to make it. I purchased everything for the recipe and did wonder if we ever would use things like hoisin sauce and chile paste again if nobody liked the meal. I have to say that this recipe became an instant favorite! Not only did we use the sauce and paste again, I have had to replenish them a couple of times.

Mongolian Beef

2 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. dry sherry
2 tsp. hoisin sauce
1 tsp. rice vinegar
1 tsp. chile paste with garlic (Go easy on this. It's spicy! Might want to try 1/2 tsp. to start)
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. peanut oil (I prefer coconut oil)
1 Tbsp. minced, peeled fresh ginger
1 Tbsp. minced fresh garlic
1 pound sirloin steak, thinly sliced across the grain (I use stir fry strips or chunks)
16 medium green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces (I think I use one whole bunch)

1. Combine first 8 ingredients, stirring until smooth.

2. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced ginger, minced garlic, and beef. Saute for 2 min. or until beef is browned.* Add green onion pieces; saute 30 seconds. Add soy sauce mixture; cook 1 min. or until thickened; stirring constantly.

*Watch beef and cook until it's just before how you like it.

Serve over wide rice noodles and with some good, crusty bread.
Makes 4 servings. I always double it for our family.

Cherry Fluff

This recipe came from a friend who was at the church cookout mentioned in the cheesy potato casserole post. This was so, so yummy. She said it is not a secret, so I'm sharing it! : )

Kelly Bemer's Cherry Fluff
1 8 oz. container cool whip
1 regular can sweetened condensed milk
1 20 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
1 regular can cherry pie filling
1 cup mini marshmallows

Mix it all together. Let sit overnight in refrigerator. Serve chilled.

Cheesy Potato Casserole

I just made this last night for our annual Schoolyear Kickoff Cookout at church. I had never made it before but found it to be a keeper. In my haste to have it ready and still semi-warm when we got there, I forgot to add the onions. My friend Laura was actually happy about that and I have to admit, it was just as yummy without them. So, the choice is yours. I think this will be the only "cheesy potatoes" recipe I use from now on.

Cheesy Potato Casserole
2 pounds frozen hash brown potatoes (the little squares)
1 pint sour cream (light works fine)
10 3/4 ounces can cream of celery soup
10 3/4 ounces can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup chopped onion (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt, adjust to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, adjust to taste
1/2 cup butter, melted and divided
3 cups cheddar cheese, grated (I just used shredded)
2 cups crushed corn flakes (2 cups after crushing;do not have to be finely crushed)

Preheat over to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix frozen hash browns, sour cream, soups, onion, seasonings, and cheddar cheese. Add 1/4 cup of melted butter to potato mixture. Spread into 9x13 prepared dish (i.e. cooking spray).

Combine corn flake crumbs and 1/4 cup of melted butter and spread over top of casserole.

Bake uncovered for 1 hour. Serve hot.